The next month could be a stressful time for South Tucson students.
Those who took the AIMS test in October must wait until December for results that will determine if they graduate or have to wait until next spring to retake the test.
The AIMS test was developed by Arizona teachers and is required by state and federal law. Students are required to score at least a "meets" on all areas of the AIMS in order to graduate.
During the fall only juniors and seniors who have not met the standards or are trying to exceed the standards take the exam. In the spring sophomores will take the exam for the first time.
Teresa Toro, a counselor at Pueblo Magnet High School says, "A small percent of students don't pass the AIMS. About 15 students didn't get a diploma last spring and came back this fall to retake the test. Students have five opportunities to retake the test before graduation."
A junior at Pueblo Magnet High School, Caroline Cazares, had to retake the AIMS. "I had to retake all three portions of the test. This time around it was much easier. I paid more attention to my teachers when they would review with us," says Cazares.
The teachers play a crucial role in helping and preparing their students for the test.
Toro says, "Classroom teachers help prep the students. The math department chair and the English chair send the teachers practice questions with the answers to help better prepare the students."
AIMS stands for Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards. AIMS measures student proficiency in the areas of writing, reading, mathematics and science.
AIMS is scored using the FAME scale: falls far below the standard, approaches the standard, meets the standard, and exceeds the standard.
Alex Cruz is a one of the lucky seniors at Pueblo who doesn't have to retake the AIMS. "I passed all three portions of the test my sophomore year. I retook them last year to exceed them. I wanted to see if I could exceed it," says Cruz.
Students tend to struggle the most with the mathematics part of the test. According to Toro, "Half the seniors who are retaking the test have to retake the math portion."
A sophomore student is required to take geometry, which is a majority of the test. "Sixth percent of the mathematics part of the test is geometry," says Toro.
Eric McClure, a sophomore at Pueblo, says, "I take the test in the spring and I'm nervous most for the math part."
Pueblo High School is part of the Tucson Unified School District along with Tucson High School. When comparing test scores of both schools, students seemed to have the most struggles with the mathematics.
According to 2010-2011 test results, 1,114 students took the math portion of the test at Tucson High and 41.9 percent passed. At Pueblo, 710 students took the math portion and only 28.2 percent passed.
Tucson High's reading and writing scores were significantly higher than Pueblo High.
At Tucson High 907 students were tested for reading and 71.6 percent passed. At Pueblo 589 students were tested for reading and 58.5 percent passed.
For writing at Pueblo 586 students were tested and 43.5 percent passed and at Tucson High 896 students were tested and 61.6 percent passed.
Students first struggle the most with mathematics, then writing and reading. "About half of the seniors had to retake the math section," says Toro.
The writing part of the test consists of one extended writing prompt along with multiple choice questions. The reading, mathematics and science potion are multiple choice.
The science portion is not included in the graduation requirement, but Toro thinks that in a couple years it will change.
Pueblo High School provides after school tutoring for students who need additional assistance with preparing for the AIMS.
AIMS support materials include AIMS student guides, sample tests, released items and writing scoring information is available at azed.gov.
